Top Ten Books/Movies To Read Or Watch To Get In The Halloween Spirit

My favourite time of the year is near! I absolutely love Halloween! I have many Halloween traditions and of course I have many favourite books and movies I turn to, to get in the Halloween spirit. I am splitting up this week's Top 10 into 2 groups of 5. Top 5 Halloween/Horror movies and Top 5 Halloween reads.

Top 5 Books to Get in the Halloween Spirit

The Shining by Stephen King

A perfect ghost story to kick off the best part of the season!

Carrie by Stephen King

Another King classic that pairs the paranormal together with a heart-wrenching story.

Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge

*Shudders* Just damn right terrifying! 

Ten by Gretchen McNeil

A great way to build up suspense for the grand finale!

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

If you think the movie was scary then you ain't seen nothing yet!

Top 5 Movies to Get in the Halloween Spirit

Hocus Pocus

A MUST for every year!

Casper

Another tame but family favourite but one that I still can't resist! 

The Amityville Horror

(Original 1979 version)

Absolutely terrifying! This is a 'Can't sleep without a light on" kinda movie! And of course it has to be the original. The remake was good(because of a very shirtless Ryan Reynolds) but nothing stands up to this one!

Insidious

Um ya, just freakin' scary! 

The Blair Witch Project

I saw this movie when I was 11 years old in the theatre. It scared the bejezeus right out of me! It has remained a favourite of mine for both the nostalgia and the horror movie factor.

Remember when it first came out there was all that hype about it being real? Ya, that stopped me from walking near the woods for a very long time!

I can't wait to see what is one your list! Please link your post in the comments so I can add to my Halloween book/movie collection!

Happy Halloween!

Help! I'm in a reading funk!

Well, the title says it all...I am in a reading funk! I hit one every few months or so but they usually don't last more than a week. I've been in a reading funk all month long! It seems that I have zero interest in reading anything. I look at my unfinished book with the bookmark poking out half way through, taunting me. I just have no interest to pick it up!

I've tried re-reading a favourite or stepping out and reading different books. That didn't work.



I want to read but I just can't find the umph to do it!



Do you guys have any tips for getting out of the dreaded reading funk? Currently accepting all tips and words of advice!!

Top Ten Tuesday: Character Driven Novels

What is a book without good characters? It's the characters that pull off the story line. What is even better is when a book can be entirely carried off by characters. Almost like those movies like Panic Room or Phone Booth; When the actors are only in one spot the entire time but there story is so riveting it keeps your entire attention!

Top Ten Character Driven Novels

The Fault in Our Stars

Looking For Alaska

Revolution

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

I'll Give You the Sun

The Help

The Secret Life of Bees

Beholding Bee

The Book Thief

Between Shades of Gray

I can't wait to see what books are on your list! Comment with your link so I can check it out!

A Sudden Light by Garth Stein

Release Date: September 30th, 2014
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Genre: Fiction | Young Adult
Pages: 416 Pages
Series: None
Format: Arc
Source: From Publisher
Reason: For Review
Find the Author: Website
Buy the Book: AmazonCA | Amazon

When a boy tries to save his parents’ marriage, he uncovers a legacy of family secrets in a coming-of-age ghost story by the author of the internationally bestselling phenomenon, The Art of Racing in the Rain.
In the summer of 1990, fourteen-year-old Trevor Riddell gets his first glimpse of Riddell House. Built from the spoils of a massive timber fortune, the legendary family mansion is constructed of giant, whole trees, and is set on a huge estate overlooking Puget Sound. Trevor’s bankrupt parents have begun a trial separation, and his father, Jones Riddell, has brought Trevor to Riddell House with a goal: to join forces with his sister, Serena, dispatch Grandpa Samuel—who is flickering in and out of dementia—to a graduated living facility, sell off the house and property for development into “tract housing for millionaires,” divide up the profits, and live happily ever after.
But Trevor soon discovers there’s someone else living in Riddell House: a ghost with an agenda of his own. For while the land holds tremendous value, it is also burdened by the final wishes of the family patriarch, Elijah, who mandated it be allowed to return to untamed forestland as a penance for the millions of trees harvested over the decades by the Riddell Timber company. The ghost will not rest until Elijah’s wish is fulfilled, and Trevor’s willingness to face the past holds the key to his family’s future.

Garth Stein first won my heart when he penned The Art of Racing in the Rain. That book still remains one of my favourite novels of all time. When I learned that Stein was releasing a new novel, I couldn't wait for the opportunity to read it!

My initial attraction to this novel was the big spooky house and the ghost story aspect. What I was left with after reading this novel was a wonderfully written coming-of-age story. There were spine chilling elements of this novel and a lot of wonderful historical aspects. I think my favourite character aside of Trevor was Grandpa Samuel. From my very first introduction with this character he formed a soft spot with me!

Stein has proven to have quite the talent when it comes to crafting riveting characters and a wonderful plot to go along with them. He also provides a great amount of back story and weaves everything together to create a spellbinding reading experience! He also provides some good ol' jaw-droppers. There were some twists in this book that I was not expecting!

A Sudden Light packs a lot of punch and is a book that you should definitely add to your October Reading list. Curl up on the couch and crack open this novel. A Sudden Light is the whole package!

 In One Word

Cover Love